Meetings

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition because of the practical, legal and ethical concerns highlighted in the consultation responses which mean that such a register would not be practical.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek a legal briefing on the petition with a view to closing the petition once this has been considered.

The Committee considered the consultation responses on the petition and agreed to;

·         seek the views of stakeholders who have not responded to the consultation but whose views may be useful: Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Dog’s Trust and Cat’s Protection;

·         write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask if any consideration has been given to this idea in England;

·         write to the Scottish, Northern Ireland, and Irish governments to ask if consideration has been given to this idea; and

·         investigate raising the issue at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

The Committee agreed to:

Seek a balance of evidence on the subject, including from the police;

Undertake a consultation on the issue;

Undertake a site visit to an animal shelter.

The Committee considered correspondence in relation to this petition. The Committee agreed to undertake further work on this issue to include:

Write to the Association of Chief Police Officers to seek their views on the issues raised by the petition; and

Request a legal briefing on issues relating to the establishment of an Animal Offenders Register.

The Committee considered this petition for the first time and agreed to:

Write to the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development to seek his views on the petition; and

Write to animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA, to seek their views on the petition.